Obituary of Eloise Gregory

Eloise (Vicky) Smiley Gregory, wife of the late Paul Gervase Gregory Jr. died Saturday, November 10, 2012 in Lynchburg, Virginia. She was born at Boxwood Farm in Amherst, Virginia on December 20, 1922, to the late Eloise Morrell and William Knight Smiley. Mrs. Gregory is survived by three children: Barbara Gregory Nitke of New York City, Gary Gregory and his wife Andrea of Marblehead, Massachusetts, and Mary Jane Gregory and her husband Veikko Hovinen of Oulu, Finland. Her seven grandchildren are Emilia Hovinen, Safa Hovinen, Vesa Hovinen, Oliver Knight Gregory, Pamela Hale Gregory, Eliot Bixby Gregory and Amanda Rose Gregory. Mrs. Gregory is survived by many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her sisters, Katherine Smiley Thurston, Althea Smiley Langhorne, Lydia Smiley Martin, Lorna Smiley Brokaw, and Elizabeth Smiley Quinn; and her brothers, William Knight (Bill) Smiley Jr., John Morrell (Jack) Smiley and Henry Morrell Smiley. Mrs. Gregory was a meteorologist, or ?weatherman? in Lynchburg, Virginia; Binghamton, New York; Anchorage and King Salmon Alaska; and the former Washington (now Reagan) National Airport in Arlington County, Virginia. Vicky was fearless. While working the night shift in Alaska, she was required to get weather data from an instrument panel where bear tracks were frequently seen. When a fellow worker expressed concern for her safety, Vicky?s husband Paul said, ?My wife is so brave she would go bear hunting with a switch.? Mrs. Gregory was an avid bridge and tennis player. She was also a long time member of both St. Paul?s Episcopal Church and Boonsboro Country Club. Vicky learned to swim before she could walk. Her father dangled her from a rope in the James River. While Vicky paddled and kicked, he allowed slack to form in the rope until she was swimming on her own. Vicky did not feel well on Election Day, November 6, 2012, but insisted on casting her ballot before going to see a doctor. When she walked into Lynchburg General Hospital later in the day, she was diagnosed with pneumonia and told she had suffered a heart attack. Vicky led an active and engaged life that inspired everyone around her. She always had a clear idea of what she wanted to do and how it should be done. Whenever it was time for her to go home she made sure that everyone knew. She took her final trip home the same way, on her own terms and with a smile on her face. A visitation will be held from 3:00-5:00pm on Friday November 16, in the Fauber Rooms at Westminster Canterbury, 501 VES Road, Lynchburg VA. A private family burial will be held at a later time at Spring Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, you may wish to consider St. Paul?s Episcopal Church, 605 Clay Street, Lynchburg, VA 24504; The Fellowship Endowment Fund at Westminster Canterbury, 501 VES Road, Lynchburg, VA 24503; or to Meals on Wheels, P. O. Box 1388, Lynchburg, VA 24505. Condolences may be made to diuguidfuneralservice.com. Diuguid Funeral service and Crematory, Wiggington Chapel (385-8900) in charge of arrangements.